FAQ

This is possibly the most common question I’ve gotten over the years and possibly the most mis-used terms in the world of record-making. Everyone who knows me knows I love to give a long and thorough answer. There’s definitely a short, medium and long answer to this question. If you want the long answer (complete with a history lesson); check out this [link] video where I explain in far too much detail. Now, for the short answer: Mixing is the process of taking the individual instruments and vocals that have been recorded and MIXING them together. The art of mixing is shaping those individual elements to combine into a single waveform that represents the intention of the artist, producer, songwriter, mixer, or anyone else who’s in charge of the mix. If you can play a song on your phone or radio : It was mixed. We refer to mixing as an art because there’s almost infinite variables that can be affected when mixing a multi-track recording. Every tone of every instrument could be manipulated (although that certainly does not mean that it SHOULD be). The relative level of every instrument and voice can be manipulated. This is the part of the process that determines the final sound of the record. This is the part you should focus on. Mastering is the process of taking a final mix and preparing it for release. In the context of a project, this means making sure that each mix can stand next to each other as a cohesive body of work. This can involve shaping the overall tone or level of each song and also adjusting the spacing between songs. For a single, this mostly means shaping the mix to ensure that it will be cohesive with other songs in the genre. Occasionally, mastering is called upon to save a mix that is sub-par for some reason or another. Occasionally, that actually works but it should be looked at as a worst-case scenario and not a desired mode of operation. The goal is a mix that sounds like the record you want.